Author: Yeon-Sik Hong
Brand: Drawn and Quarterly
Edition: 1
Features:
- Umma's Table
- Product type: ABIS BOOK
- Brand: Drawn and Quarterly
Binding: paperback
Format: Illustrated
Number Of Pages: 360
Release Date: 21-04-2020
Details: Product Description Following his acclaimed English language debut Uncomfortably Happily, Yeon-sik Hong returns with a graphic novel that is as insightful as wrenching as it probes life with aging parents and how we support the people we love. A new father named Madang, moves to a quiet cottage in the countryside with his wife and young baby. He s excited to build a strong foundation for his growing family but his priorities are divided. His elderly parents are impoverished and struggling to survive. He becomes the primary caregiver for his ailing mother Hyung-Soo, which also means negotiating a fraught relationship with his father. As her illness worsens, he accompanies his mother on many hospital trips. Madang overcomes his exhaustion and frustration by reminiscing about family meals together, and particularly HyungSoo s kimchi. Memories of her cooking and the act of dining together are elevated to glory with Madang and his brother often breaking into song in response to her magnificent meals. These joyful depictions, however, are juxtaposed with Hyung-Soo s hospital room. After Hyung-Soo dies, Madang is struck by the incomparable dedication she showed in caring for and feeding her family, who always came first. With an unassuming wisdom, Umma s Table serves as a reflection on the enduring nature of family and the power of tradition. Review "The narrative [of Uncomfortably Happily] is surprisingly gripping...the mix of pathos and buoyant humor--as well as charming and three-dimensional characterization--keep you engrossed. Plus, the artwork is fantastic, mixing cartoony, almost Lynda Barry-ish figure work with stunningly evocative and impressionistic landscapes."--Vulture"[Uncomfortably Happily] is a pleasure to read, with the creative and striking artwork and the focus on inner and outer struggles ensuring it's an engrossing read."--The Quietus"Uncomfortably Happily is a candid, engrossing tale...quietly charming."--The Atlantic"[Uncomfortably Happily is an] extraordinary comic-book memoir...Hong uses manga-influenced line work to bring the youthful enthusiasm of his characters to life. He anatomizes the quotidian details of marriage but also finds time for comedic flights of fancy, including frequent musical numbers."--Slate"Hong's drawings are beautiful and interesting, and there's something successful about the melancholy tempered with realism that [his work] conveys."--Paste"Brilliantly illustrated in black and white, which veers from minimal slices of everyday life to more intricate, elaborate flights of fancy...But for the most part, [Uncomfortably Happily] is full of levity." --GQ About the Author Yeon-sik Hong was born in 1971. He began apprenticing in a manga studio in 1990, and wrote his first short stories (in comics form) in 1992, but commercial projects kept him from his personal work for another decade. His graphic novel about moving to the countryside, Uncomfortably Happily, was released to great acclaim in Korea in 2012 and translated into English by Drawn & Quarterly in 2017. He and his partner now live on the outskirts of Seoul.
EAN: 9781770463868
Package Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
Languages: English
